Key Note Speakers for Annual Conference 2021: Rainbows, Disruptions and Transformations
Hopefully, you already have the date saved for Visionary’s Annual Conference 2021 on 24, 25 and 26 November, you may even already have your place booked. You may, also, have read about our amazing keynote speakers on social media, but if not..
We are so excited to introduce you to your Visionary Annual Conference 2021, keynote speakers.
Paul Evans: CEO, Leadership Through Sport
Image is a photo of Paul smiling at the camera
Paul Evans joined Leadership Through Sport & Business in April 2020 as Chief Executive. Previously he was Managing Director at the award-winning Street League and CEO of the national education charity, UFA (University of the First Age).
Paul has a professional background in youth & education services, sport for development, mental health, homelessness and employability provision. He cites the golden thread throughout his career as social mobility and inclusion, supporting the most disadvantaged groups to achieve real and lasting change in their lives. Paul is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and full member of the Chartered Management Institute. He is also a Trustee at learning disability charity, REACH.
Dr Nikki Kanani: GP and Medical Director for Primary Care for NHS England and NHS Improvement
Image is a photograph of Dr Nikki Kanani smiling at the camera with her arms folded.
Dr Nikki Kanani is a GP in south-east London and is currently Medical Director for Primary Care for NHS England and NHS Improvement. Prior to joining NHS England as Deputy Medical Director of Primary Care, she was Chief Clinical Officer of NHS Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Nikki has held a range of positions within healthcare to support the development of innovative models of care, highly engaged clinical, patient and public leadership and is passionate about supporting primary care, improving service provision and population wellbeing.
She is a member of The King’s Fund General Advisory Council and holds a MSc in health care commissioning. With her sister she co-founded STEMMsisters, a social enterprise supporting young people to study science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine. She has two young children.
Lucy Calidcott: CEO of ChangeOut
Image is a photograph of Lucy Caldicott smiling at the camera
Lucy is a campaigner and activist working to address issues of inequality, injustice and exclusion. Lucy has worked in leadership roles at a range of charities over the last twenty five years, most recently as Chief Executive of UpRising, a charity which offers a range of leadership and employability programmes to talented young people from diverse and under-represented backgrounds.
She now runs ChangeOut, a consultancy set up to address issues of diversity, inclusion, and culture change in the social justice sector and beyond.
Since May 2018, Lucy has been a Councillor representing Stockwell ward in the London Borough of Lambeth and has recently joined the Cabinet as joint lead on Health and Adult Social Care. Between 2019-2021 she chaired the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee. She ran as Labour’s candidate in Dudley South in the 2019 General Election.
We are extremely grateful to Thomas Pocklington Trust for their generous support, enabling us to welcome Lucy to Visionary’s Annual Conference 2021.
Image is the Thomas Pocklington Trust logo
We are delighted to be able to offer a varied conference programme for 2021 and are extremely grateful for the support we have received from our 2021 Conference Partners to enable us to do so. Places at the event are limited but there is still time to reserve your early bird delegate place at this year’s event, click here for more information and bookings forms.
Dr Amy Kavanagh: Disability Activist and Campaigner
Image is a photograph of Dr Amy Kavanagh half smiling at the camera wearing a navy dress
Dr Amy Kavanagh is a disability activist and campaigner. She uses social media to share her lived experience navigating the world as a blind Londoner alongside Guide Dog Ava. Amy’s activism work includes #JustAskDontGrab a viral campaign which encourages people to ask for consent before offering assistance. She is also currently the Landlady of The Staying Inn, an online inclusive community for disabled people. Amy is committed to celebrating disability, mobility aids and encouraging others to learn about the social model of disability.
We are very extremely grateful to Blind Veterans UK for supporting the Visionary Annual Conference 2021, creating the opportunity for us to welcome Dr Amy Kavanagh to this year’s event.
Image is the Blind Veterans UK Logo
Lord Colin Low, CBE
Image: Lord Colin Low facing the camera
As ever, we are honoured that our President, Lord Colin Low, will join us at this year’s Annual Conference to start the event in traditional Visionary style with his wonderful opening speech!
Colin has been President of Visionary since 2010. Colin is also Vice President of RNIB, and former President of the European Blind Union (EBU) and the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI).
Colin taught Law and Criminology at Leeds University before becoming Director of the Greater London Council’s Disability Resource Team. He then carried out research into theories of disability as Senior Research Fellow at City University and was appointed to the House of Lords in 2006.
He was a member of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (1994-2007); the Disability Rights Task Force (1997-1999); and the Disability Rights Commission (2000-2002); and chaired the Low Commission on the future of advice and legal support on social welfare law.
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